A New Route to N‐Aryl 2‐Alkenamides,N‐Allyl N‐Aryl 2‐Alkenamides,and N‐Aryl α,β‐Unsaturated γ‐Lactams from N‐Aryl 3‐(Phenylsulfonyl)propanamides

A series of N‐aryl 2‐alkenamides were produced efficiently by treating N‐aryl 3‐(phenylsulfonyl)‐propanamides with potassium tert‐butoxide in THF at 0°C. With out isolation, it was further treated with an additional equivalent of potassium tert‐butoxide and allyl bromide to give N‐allyl N‐aryl 2‐alkenamides in one pot in good yields. Followed by a ring‐closing metathesis reaction, these N‐allyl N‐aryl 2‐alkenamides were respectively converted into corresponding N‐aryl α,β‐unsaturated γ‐lactams in moderate yields.     

Metal‐Free Activation of a C(sp)−H Bond of Aryl Acetylenes

C(sp)?H Bond activation of acetylene molecule still remains a challenge for synthetic organic chemists. In practice, acetylenes are activated by strong bases and metals. The first example for activating acetylenic protons under base and metal‐free conditions is reported here. It involves a general method for synthesizing propargylic derivatives of cotarnine. An array of tetrahydroisoquinolines alkaloids was synthesized by C(sp)?H bond activation of aromatic acetylenes with cotarnine at room temperature. A DFT‐based mechanism is proposed for the reaction.     

Fe(OTf)3‐Catalyzed α‐Benzylation of Aryl Methyl Ketones with Electrophilic Secondary and Aryl Alcohols

Acid‐catalyzed Friedel–Crafts alkylation of 1,3‐dicarbonyl compounds with electrophilic alcohols, is known to be an effective C? C bond forming reaction. However, until now, this reaction has not been amenable for α‐alkylation of aryl methyl ketones because of the notoriously low nucleophilicities of these compounds. Therefore, α‐alkylation of aryl methyl ketone relies on precious metal catalysts and also, the use of primary alcohols is mandatory. In this study, we found that a system composed of a Fe(OTf)₃ catalyst and chlorobenzene solvent is sufficient to promote the title Friedel–Crafts reaction by using benzhydrols as electrophiles. 3,4‐Dihydro‐9‐(2‐hydroxy‐4,4‐dimethyl‐6‐oxo‐1‐cyclohexen‐1‐yl)‐3,3‐dimethyl‐xanthen‐1(2 H)‐one was also applicable as an electrophile in this type of benzylation reaction. On the basis of this result, a three‐component reaction of salicylaldehyde, dimedone, and aryl methyl ketone was also developed, and this provided an efficient way for the synthesis of densely substituted 4H‐chromene derivatives.     

Manganese(IV) Corroles with σ‐Aryl Ligands

Different pathways for the preparation of organometallic manganese(IV) corroles with σ‐aryl ligands have been evaluated. The treatment of a manganese(III) corrole with Grignard reagents PhMgX (X = Cl, Br), followed by aerial oxidation yields oxidized halogenido complexes [(cor)Mn^IVX] instead of the anticipated organometallic compounds. Reaction of these halogenido species, especially the bromido compound, with excess Grignard reagents or with lithium aryls results in the formation of the desired σ‐aryl compounds via salt metatheses. Three examples of this class of rare complexes have been characterized by means of optical and ¹H NMR spectroscopy, and in two cases single crystal X‐ray diffraction studies have been carried out. In the crystal, the molecular structures of the σ‐phenyl‐ and the σ‐(p‐bromophenyl) derivatives were observed to be very similar, albeit both species pack in different pattern.     

MnI/AgI Relay Catalysis: Traceless Diazo‐Assisted C(sp2)–H/C(sp3)–H Coupling to β‐(Hetero)Aryl/Alkenyl Ketones

An unprecedented Mn^I/Ag^I‐relay‐catalyzed C(sp²)?H/C(sp³)?H coupling of (vinyl)arenes with α‐diazoketones is reported, wherein the diazo group was exploited as a traceless auxiliary for control of regioselectivity. Challenging β‐(hetero)aryl/alkenyl ketones were obtained through this operationally simple approach. The cascade process merges denitrogenation, carbene rearrangement, C?H activation, and hydroarylation/hydroalkenylation. The robustness of this method was demonstrated at preparative scale and applied to late‐stage diversification of natural products.     

An Efficient Route to Ethyl 5‐Alkyl‐ (Aryl)‐1H‐1,2,4‐triazole‐3‐carboxylates

An efficient general route to the synthesis of 5‐substituted 1H‐1,2,4‐triazole‐3‐carboxylates was developed. N‐acylamidrazones were obtained from carboxylic acid hydrazides and ethyl thiooxamate or ethyl 2‐ethoxy‐2‐iminoacetate hydrochloride and then were reacted with chloroanhydride of the same carboxylic acid. As the next step, diacylamidrazones were cyclized to 5‐substituted 1H‐1,2,4‐triazole‐3‐carboxylates one pot in mild conditions.     

1, 3, 4, 4'‐Tetra(triphenylphosphanimin)‐2‐iodo‐2‐butenal‐4‐carboniumiodid, [O=C(NPPh3)C(I)=C(NPPh3)‐C(NPPh3)2]+I‐

Pale yellow single crystals of [O=C(NPPh₃)C(I)=C(NPPh₃)‐C(NPPh₃)₂]⁺I^‐·1.5 thf ( 1 ·1.5 thf) have been obtained by the reaction of INPPh₃ with thallium in thf suspension. They are characterized by IR spectroscopy and by a crystal structure determination. 1 ·1.5 thf crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P2₁/n, Z = 4, lattice dimensions at ‐83?C: a = 1101.7(1), b = 3449.0(2), c = 2000.4(1) pm, β = 104.88(1)?, R₁ = 0.0382. 1 can be understood as a cationic variation of (Z)‐2‐butenale in which all H atoms are substituted by triphenylphosphoraneimine residues and by a iodine atom, respectively.     

(C6F5)3B Catalyzed Chemoselective and ortho‐Selective Substitution of Phenols with α‐Aryl α‐Diazoesters

The development of an efficient method for the site‐selective substitution of unprotected phenols has long been considered as an attractive but challenging task. Herein, we describe a highly chemo‐ and ortho‐selective substitution reaction of phenols with α‐aryl α‐diazoacetates with commercially available (C₆F₅)₃B as the catalyst. This reaction proceeds under simple and mild conditions with high efficiency, it features a wide substrate scope and can be easily scaled up.     

Synthesis of 2,3‐Diaryl‐3H‐pyrrolo[2,3‐c]pyridin‐3‐ol Derivatives by the Reaction of Aryl(3‐isocyanopyridin‐4‐yl)methanones with Aryl Grignard Reagents

The reaction of aryl(3‐isocyanopyridin‐4‐yl)methanones 1 , easily prepared from commercially available pyridin‐3‐amine, with aryl Grignard reagents gave, after aqueous workup, 2,3‐diaryl‐3H‐pyrrolo[2,3‐c]pyridin‐3‐ols 2 . These rather unstable alcohols were O‐acylated with Ac₂O in pyridine in the presence of a catalytic amount of 4‐(dimethylamino)pyridine (DMAP) to afford the corresponding 2,3‐diaryl‐3H‐pyrrolo[2,3‐c]pyridin‐3‐yl acetates 3 in relatively good yields.